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Can a prison sentence bite when the prisoner is not even in the room?

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A court in Tehran has handed Jafar Panahi a new sentence of 5 years and one month, and his lawyer says it can still be appealed.

5yrs

Prison term, new sentenceSource: The Independent · 28.10.2026

Nili says the case was decided in Tehran without Panahi present, and BFM reports it is not known whether he is still in Iran.

Tehran, Iran

Tehran

A friend, Hossein Razzagh, says Panahi was not detained, but "now all of his bank accounts have been blocked", Razzagh told AP.

“now all of his bank accounts have been blocked”

Hossein Razzagh

It is a pattern: prison in 2010, detained again in July 2022, and convicted in absentia in December 2025. He came back during the war that began in late February.

Pattern of prosecutions
  1. 2010Prison stay
  2. July 2022Detained, jailed again
  3. December 2025Convicted in absentia

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The story

Iran sentences Jafar Panahi to five more years in prison in absentiaRead the article

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